1) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to cotton harvesting implements and, more specifically, to a baling arrangement for a cotton harvester.
2) Related Art
Cotton harvesters having on-board module forming structure, such as described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,032,446 entitled DENSIFICATION METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR HARVESTED COTTON OR OTHER SIMILAR FIBROUS MATERIAL, provide a compact bale or module directly on the harvester to reduce the amount of support equipment needed in the field and minimize harvester idle time during offloading. The on-board processing structure requires a robust bale handling system for moving a large formed bale rearwardly to prepare the bale chamber for a second bale with little or no harvester down time. A large accumulation area or similar structure for storing a substantial amount of harvested crop is also necessary to allow harvesting to continue while the bale is discharged from the bale forming chamber.
Another problem with previous systems with on-board processors is the forming and handling of the bale, which is relatively large and can weigh on the order o eight tons or more when completed. As the bale forms and the bale weight increases, the horsepower requirement to complete the bale forming process and to move the harvester through the field also increases. The bale handling system has to be very robust to move and support the heavy bale while harvesting. The large bale can also adversely raise the machine center of gravity, and the bale-forming chamber necessary for a large bale is problematic when trying to maintain a satisfactory harvester shipping and transport height. Handling the bales when unloaded from the harvester is difficult or impossible with conventional bale handling equipment.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an improved on-board cotton handling system that overcomes most or all of the aforementioned problems. It is a further object to provide such a system which reduces or eliminates harvester down time during unloading of the crop from the harvester without need for forming a very large, heavy bale. It is still another object to provide such a system with reduced power consumption and with lower center of gravity and lower-transport height than a system with a single large bale forming chamber.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide an improved cotton handling system for a cotton harvester which facilitates on-board processing of the cotton. It is another object of the present invention to provide such a system having a relatively simple on-the-go bale forming and discharge system. It is still another object to provide such a system which can utilize balers similar or identical in construction to commercially available round balers. It is a further object to provide such a system which facilitates use of conventional bale handling equipment to move formed bales.
It is another object of the invention to provide an on-board baling system for a cotton harvester which utilizes side-by-side baling devices It is another object to provide such a baling system having a single accumulator with cotton control structure for selectively directing cotton to one of the baling devices while the other device is unloading a bale. It is a further object to provide such a device which does not require complicated and expensive lateral shifting mechanisms to direct cotton to the selected baling device and which prevents bridging and breaks up clumps of material in the storage area for better cotton feeding.
In accordance with the above objects, an on-board cotton harvester baling system includes first and second balers mounted side-by-side on the frame of a cotton harvester adjacent a single accumulator that extends generally the width of the balers. One of two sets of metering rollers located at the bottom of the accumulator is selectively activated to feed cotton to either the first baler or the second baler- An reversible auger extending the width of the accumulator moves cotton within the accumulator towards the activated set of metering rolls to assure a continued supply of material for the operating baler. When the bale is fully formed in the active baler, the opposite set of metering rolls and the other baler are activated, and the auger is reversed.
Reduced bale size makes bale handling easier and reduces power consumption. Overall implement height is lowered and center of gravity is reduced compared to systems which form a single large bale. Excellent harvester productivity with substantially continuous harvesting is facilitated despite the smaller bale size since one chamber can be discharging on-the-go while the other chamber is forming a bale. The single accumulator with reversing auger provides simple directing of cotton to desired baler without need for complicated, expensive input shifting mechanisms.
These and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent to one skilled in the art upon reading the following detailed description in view of the drawings.